The Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), formerly known as the Shanghai Institute of Metallurgy, was previously the National Research Institute of Engineering, Academia Sinica, one of the earliest engineering research institutions in China. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the institute became subordinate to the CAS. It was previously named the CAS Engineering Lab and later the CAS Metallurgy and Ceramics Research Institute. In Aug 2011, it was renamed the SIMIT.

During over 80 years of development, the SIMIT has been adhering to national strategic needs by adjusting its scientific research layout accordingly. It plays an important role in national economic construction. In the 1950s, the SIMIT invented technology to refine high fluoride-containing iron ore. In the mid-1960s, it developed China's first PN junction isolating IC, ECL high-speed circuit, 8-digit and 16-digit microprocessors. In the mid-1980s, it began research in microelectronics mechanical systems and SOI material research, taking the lead in China and also playing a crucial role internationally.

After setting foot in the knowledge innovation engineering, the SIMIT established two disciplines as research fields, electronic science and technology, information and communication engineering, and five discipline orientations, micro satellite, wireless sensor network, mobile communication of future development, microsystem technology, and information functional materials and components, with the innovative value chains being established.[s1] In recent years, the SIMIT has become an important micro-satellite research and manufacturing base in China by successfully launching the micro-satellites Innovation No 1 and Shengzhou No 7.

By carrying out application demonstration projects in the Internet of Things, the SIMIT enhanced key techniques in the Internet of Things as part of a national strategic emerging industry. Its broadband wireless communication system technology with proprietary intellectual property has been used in many grand events in China, contributing to earthquake relief work, stability safeguarding, public safety and digital city construction. The SOI materials researched by the SIMIT have filled a deficiency in the domestic market and have been used widely in many key projects in China.

The SIMIT has been awarded with 47 national-level scientific and technological awards in addition to 341 provincial-level awards since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Currently the SIMIT has eight research laboratories or engineering centers, including two key State laboratories. It has six research offices and new energy technology centers and an automobile electronic engineering center. It also set up seven branch organizations in other cities in China, cooperating with local organizations. The superconductivity and biological electronics joint laboratory was co-established by the SIMIT and German Helmholtz National Research Center. The SIMIT also co-built the railway transportation sense and transmission joint lab with China Railway Signal & Communication Corp.

The SIMIT now has 803 employees, including 607 scientific and managing personnel as well as 69 researchers and senior engineering technical personnel. It boasts two CAS academicians, one CAE academician and one NAS academician from the USA.

The SIMIT is one of the first groups granting PhD and master's degrees approved by the degree committee of the State Council. It now has three secondary discipline doctoral candidate training stations and three secondary discipline master degree candidate training stations. It also has two first-level postdoctoral research stations. There are now 365 students in total, including 159 postgraduates, 206 PhD students and 26 post-doctorates.

In order to comply with the strategy of the 12th Five-Year Plan and Innovation 2020, the SIMIT has made sure its own strategic goals, centering on national strategic emerging industries, speeds up the construction of electronic science and technology. It also seeks to develop information and communication engineering, solve difficult technical problems, make breakthroughs in the Internet of Things, enhance MEMS key components, and industrialize SOI material technology. It is determined to become an indispensable research institution in the wireless sensor network, broadband wireless communications, microsystems and other related materials and component fields, contributing to national economic construction and national safety.